News

Deaf Awareness Week 2018

To celebrate Deaf Awareness Week 2018 we have lots of activities going on in school including a visit from the NDCS Roadshow bus.

The Roadshow bus has been travelling the UK since 1996 delivering the NDCS’s unique information service to the doorstep of the nation’s deaf children, their families and friends, and the professionals working with them.

The team will be delivering workshops to our pupils and their parents. Workshops delivered by the NDCS team will be Technology – to give pupils and parents an opportunity to try out technology such as alarm clocks, flashing doorbell or pager and Bluetooth devices – and Look, Smile and Chat – to improve deaf awareness and reduce the communication barrier between hearing parents and their deaf child.

Read about our last Roadshow:

Oscars 2018

Teaching Assistant Aimme Campbell-Nottage has flown out to Los Angeles, USA as part of the BBC to document the cast and crew of Oscar-nominated film, The Silent Child.

The Silent Child centres around a profoundly deaf four-year-old girl named Libby who is born into a middle-class family and lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her the gift of communication.

Aimee is followed her journey in LA, spending the weekend going to places with her and interviewing her ahead of the Oscars on Sunday 4th March.

The team visited the GLAD centre (Greater Los Angeles Agency On Deafness) to meet the CEO, Patty Hughes, who told them about the centre and their services. Star of the film Maisie Sly had also been learning ASL (American Sign Language) which was interesting and fun!

Here’s what Aimee had to say about the trip: “I had an amazing time in LA and it was such a privilege to spent the last few days with Maisie and her lovely family! I went to Maisie’s holiday home on the day after the Oscars award and I’ve managed to interview the writer and director of the film – Rachel and Chris! There was a surprise guest at the house – Nyle! He is a famous Deaf model and actor in USA! And the Oscar award was very heavy!”

Keep up to date with Aimee and Maisie’s journey in LA and at the Oscars by following us on Twitter. @OakLodgeSchool

Faith barked up the right tree at Oak Lodge

OAK LODGE School welcomed a visit from Therapy dog, Faith this week.

Faith, a five-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, qualified as a PAT (Pets As Therapy) Dog in 2011 and has visited schools, hospitals, hospices and care homes since she was eight-months-old.

Oak Lodge students were delighted to meet Faith who joined in with a game of football at break time.

Faith specialises in working with Deaf or young people with communication difficulties and was awarded a Citizen’s Award from the mayor of Wandsworth for her contribution to the local community.

Rescued and rehomed after suffering mistreatment at the hands of her owner as a young puppy, Faith now lives with a new member of the Oak Lodge school team, Beatrice Gbadebo.

Janet Palmer, Assistant Head for Additional Needs praised the visit, adding, “It’s been a fantastic experience for pupils who have walked, communicated and spent time with Faith who greatly enjoyed the day and went home very tired from all the attention.”

Research has suggested that interactions with therapy dogs can affect the release of various positive neurotransmitters in the brain such as oxytocin and dopamine whilst lowering cortisol levels which are associated with stress. For more information on PAT visit: www.petssastherapy.org.

Jack Petchey Outstanding Achievement Nominee – Jessica Howard

November 9th, 2017

This year’s Panathlon Jack Petchey Awards Ceremony takes place on November 15 at John Lewis Stratford in London, and will feature the prestigious Jack Petchey Outstanding Achievement Award. Take a look at Jessica Howard, one of this year’s nominees for the top prize.

Jessica Howard’s courage in the face of severe adversity has resulted in her nomination for this year’s Jack Petchey Outstanding Achievement Award, Panathlon’s top individual honour in the London and Essex area.

ITV News

On 24th May 2017, ITV News covered our latest project with Nightingale House. Crew and cameras came to visit the residents and students and observe and interview pupils as they worked with residents on a number of projects including teaching BSL and finger spelling and artwork.

Sharing knowledge

From this month, around a dozen students from Oak Lodge, a special needs school, will visit the Nightingale House care home every week to teach residents basic sign language, before working together on a ceramics and photography project.

“It’s fantastic for the students to be able to pass on information to the other people,” says Darryl Bedford, head of art and technology at Oak Lodge. “The aim is to link one student to each resident and let them develop a relationship throughout the weeks. From this, students will develop an understanding of elderly people and learn to work with someone they just met.”

For schools interested in exploring intergenerational projects, Mannion suggests starting with local links. “Discover who is available and willing to contribute to school life in the extended curriculum, such as clubs and trips,” he advises.

Sometimes this requires cold-calling. “Places where older people meet, such as lunch clubs, are good, as well as sheltered accommodation, the Royal British Legion, the WI, Age UK, bowling and rotary clubs,” says Peterson. He also suggests advertising in local newspapers, and simply being visible. “We’ve had success by standing in the local shopping centre, handing out leaflets and talking to people.

Financial backing is important too. “Schools need funding and training to consider a more collaborative and intergenerational approach involving young people, local people, professional practitioners and organisations,” says Mannion. Schools can check if they’re eligible for grants from organisations such as The Big Lottery Fund and schemes run by supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda.

Intergenerational projects can provide a fresh approach to learning about life outside the classroom, and often lead to long-lasting memories. “For the child, it’s something they remember,” says Hurley. “My son helped create a storybook 10 years ago and he still remembers Mary, whom he worked with.”

Mason agrees. “Some still keep in touch and go for a coffee with the person they were paired with,” she says. “They end up developing a close bond.”

STUDENTS of Oak Lodge School in Wandsworth are set to tread the boards next week as part of the world’s largest youth drama festival.

More than 1,000 schools will perform in 138 theatres across the UK in the annual Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF) which this year celebrates the famous bard’s 400th birthday.

Cathie Campbell, English teacher at Oak Lodge School, described the students’ participation as a superb opportunity and “one that improves the self-confidence, self-esteem and public speaking skills of our students.”

She added: “We are incredibly proud of the students who have risen to this challenge.

“As well as reading and learning the story of a Shakespeare play, they will learn how to communicate and work with their hearing peers whilst gaining the confidence, understanding and skills to perform in a real working theatre in central London in front of an unfamiliar audience.

“It’s an excellent way of joining two very diverse communities through the Arts.”

Ten pupils from Oak Lodge secondary special school for Deaf and language impaired students will perform a modified signed performance of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ alongside 20 Community Arts Brit School students.

The Brit school students have taken part in a Deaf Awareness course and have been very keen to learn basic BSL signs to help with communication with Oak Lodge students.

The third collaboration between students of Oak lodge and the Brit School will be an integrated performance using a mixture of British Sign Language, Sign-Supported English and spoken English and will take place at Main Stage, RADA Studio on 16th November at 7pm.

Entering their 17th year, SSF is campaigning to show that the work of Shakespeare is relevant to all young people regardless of age or ability.

The registered charity has already signed up 1,150 schools so far this year including more than a hundred schools for children with special needs.

“It is with great sadness that we have to inform you that Sarah Price, who worked as a teacher at Oak Lodge School from January 2005 to Dec 2013, has died after a short illness.

Sarah worked as a Maths teacher and helped lead the Sixth Form and was greatly respected and loved by all the staff and students who knew her. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this sad time.”

Swiss Adventure

On the 9th of September 12 students and 4 staff traveled to Interlaken, Switzerland. This amazing trip was organised and funded by London Rotary Club and Interlaken Rotary Club.

What a wonderful opportunity for Oak Lodge Students to experience another culture and grow with the challenge! And what a wonderful place to visit. All students agree, Interlaken is the most beautiful place on Earth!